Brandon Cornelius finally had a healthy season during the 2017 campaign and he rewarded the Scarlet Raptors by playing in 29 games, starting 24, and hitting .260 with 21 runs, 16 RBIs and two home runs. His 96 at bats last season were nearly triple the amount he had accumulated in the previous three years, during which time he was only able to play two injury-riddled seasons. He missed the entire 2016 campaign after collecting only 34 at bats in his first two seasons, combined.
While his baseball career has been hampered by injuries, Cornelius has been one of the top student-athletes in the Scarlet Raptors’ program. He has earned New Jersey Athletic Conference Academic Honorable Mention recognition for three straight years and was a member of the inaugural Rutgers-Camden Athletic Director’s Honor Roll during the Fall 2015 semester. He added berths on the AD’s Honor Roll during the Spring 2016, Fall 2016 and Spring 2017 semesters.
During his collegiate career, Cornelius has compiled a .246 batting average (32-for-130) with a .377 slugging percentage and a .318 on-base percentage. He has produced eight doubles, three home runs, 26 runs scored and 23 RBIs.
Baseball 2017: Served as one of the Scarlet Raptors’ team captains…Hit .260 (25-for-96) while starting 24 of his 29 games…Had 16 RBIs, six doubles, two home runs and 21 runs scored…Posted a .385 slugging percentage and a .336 on-base percentage…Had 11 walks and reached base once as a hit batsman…Made 25 putouts and one error for a .955 fielding percentage… NJAC Academic Honorable Mention recognition for the third straight year…Had a pair of three-hit games, going 3-for-4 with two runs, one RBI and one stolen base against Methodist University (Feb. 26) and 3-for-5 with three runs, two doubles, two RBIs and one stolen base at Stockton University (April 21)…Also added five two-hit games…Had three of those two-hit games during a four-game hitting streak from March 14-17 (7-for-17, .412), collecting three doubles, five RBIs and four runs during that span…Walked three times and also went 1-for-3 with a stolen base and two runs scored against Neumann University (April 4)…Had five putouts in games against Eastern Connecticut State University (March 15, while also going 2-for-5 with one RBI), Ramapo College (April 15, Game One) and Montclair State (April 23, Game Two)…Hit his two home runs in back-to-back games against Stevens Institute of Technology (March 29) and William Paterson University (April 2)…Tied for fourth on the team with four multiple-RBI games…Placed sixth on the Raptors with five multiple-hit games.
Baseball 2016: Sidelined by injuries in 2016, but earned his second NJAC Academic Honorable Mention recognition…Member of the 2016-17 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee
Baseball 2015: Played in eight games, starting three…Hit 0.67 (1-for-15) with two runs, two walks and one RBI…NJAC Academic Honorable Mention…Went 0-for-4 while starting his first two games of the season against Amherst College (March 15) and Wisconsin-Stevens Point (March 17)…Had two putouts in the Stevens Point game…Made his third start of the season in the nightcap of a doubleheader at New Jersey City University (April 18), going 1-for-3 with two runs, two walks and a sacrifice fly for his lone RBI of the season.
Baseball 2014: Played in 10 games, making two starts…Hit .316 (6-for-19) with a .350 on-base percentage…Had two doubles, one home run, three runs and six RBIs…Defensively he had 13 putouts and a .1.000 fielding percentage…After going hitless in his first seven collegiate at bats, he went a torrid 6-for-12 (.500) the rest of the way, with his first collegiate hit coming on a ninth-inning single down the left field line against Penn State-Abington (April 9)…He scored his first collegiate run in that inning…Had a huge game against Penn State-Brandywine (April 22), going 4-for-4 with two doubles, a home run, two runs and five RBIs…His big game included a two-run double and a two-run single, both in the Raptors’ 11-run seventh inning…Added a solo home run in the ninth…Went 1-for-2 with one RBI against Castleton State (May 15) as the Scarlet Raptors collected the first NCAA tournament victory in program history…Had six putouts in a win over Eastern University (April 28).
High School: Captured seven letters at Timber Creek High School, including four in baseball for Coach Dave Clune…Also added three basketball letters for Coach Rich Bolds…Two-time All-Conference First Team in baseball…Two-time All-Conference and two-time Defensive Player of the Year in basketball…Played in the Carpenter Cup in baseball…Posted a 4.1 GPA and was an Honor Roll student.
Personal: Born February 7, 1995…Nicknamed “B” or “BC”…English major with a Journalism minor at Rutgers-Camden… Dean’s List student …Following graduation plans to become a broadcast journalist, business owner/consultant, pro baseball player and/or sports writer…Brandon is the son of Debra and Pierre Cornelius of Sicklerville.
